Changing Seasons
by delusionment
Summary: A lot can change between two people during the course of 4 seasons, 12 months, 365 days, 8760 hours, 525600 minutes, and 31536000 seconds. Three pairings, guess which!
1. Spring

(-- --)

Chapter 1

Spring

It had been a long time since he had gone to see her. She was a busy woman now. She had to run a whole clan and oversee the training of her pupils. They always kept in touch with letters and phone calls, but it wasn't the same as being in person. They were only two hours apart, but it felt much farther than that.

He was alone when he went to visit her. His daughter had school, and her half-brother would be there to watch over her.

She was standing on the steps of her family Manor, waiting for him when he pulled up in a cab. He froze up when he caught sight of her. They did exchange pictures in the letters, but they did not do her any justice.

She had gotten taller, and her hair was much longer. Some of her previous childishness was lost and replaced with maturity. She carried herself differently than before. She moved like she was dancing to a waltz, her body moving gracefully to its beat. He had never noticed before that there was a spark in her soft, brown eyes. He was drawn to it like a magnet.

He dropped his luggage on the ground, and without a single thought, rushed forward to take her in his arms.

Everything seemed to be redeemed in that moment.

(-- --)

She had just finished working on a case. He could tell she was exhausted. He should have just let her sleep, but instead, he forced her to accompany him on a walk. She had protested at first, but went along in the end. He wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.

They walked around on the streets of Germany, and eventually wandered into a park. Children were playing on the grass. People walked on the gravel path, engrossed in their own conversations. Men and women were sitting on the benches. Some were reading, others just watching the peaceful scenery around them.

He spotted a man selling flowers. He led her towards the vendor and paid for a single orchid flower. With a small smile, he handed it to her. She returned the smile with one of her own.

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. They stared into each other's eyes. Different emotions flickered in them, though they seemed to be on the same page. He gently took her face into his hands and captured her lips in a kiss.

An elderly couple was walking by when they saw the two in an embrace. They smiled and continued on with their stroll.

"Young love," said the old lady. "Don't you remember when we were once like that?"

"How could I forget?" replied her husband. "I think those two will have many happy years ahead of them."

(-- --)

He didn't know what it was. He always found her attractive, but lately there had been an even bigger improvement in her looks. Her eyes were even more illuminated than ever, and there was a glow to her cheeks. It was hard to keep his eyes off of her whenever she was around.

He was the biggest flirt ever, and he had his own way with words. But when he tried to speak with her, he was at a loss for words. He couldn't say anything right. Everyday he began sending a vase filled with red roses. There were occasional other flowers mixed in such as red carnations, gardenias, pink roses, stock flowers, and red and yellow tulips. The flowers could speak louder than he ever could.

She never said anything when she received the flowers from him. Though, for the rest of the day, she wore a content smile. When asked about the flowers, she would blush and say nothing. They shared a few glances between each other, but nothing ever happened. This went on for three weeks. Tired of nothing happening, he used his power as a prosecutor to pull a few strings and find out where she lived.

It was late at night. He climbed up to the fire escape just outside her window with a guitar. He strummed a few chords and began singing, "And it's you and me and all of the people, and I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you."

Inside, she was just about to go to bed when she heard a soft song playing outside. She lifted the window to the fire escape to see her boss outside. He smiled at her and continued on, "All of the things I want to say just aren't coming out right. I'm tripping on words, you got my head spinning. I don't know where to go from here."

She climbed through the window and smiled at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his cheek as she listened to the rest of the song in the dark of night.

* * *

I had the idea for this story for a while. This story will be relatively short. Four chapters only. Nothing more, nothing less. Three short parts for each couple in each chapter. I will never state any names in the story. It makes it more fun for me and makes it kind of a challenge.

I was originally going to more or less base the story on the song "Seasons of Love" from the musical _Rent_, but decided against it.

Orchids represent magnificence, love, beauty, and refinement. Red roses represent romantic love. Red carnations represent admiration and mean "my heart aches for you." Gardenias mean "I love you in secret." Pink roses represent love and grace. Stock flowers represent bonds of affection and mean "you will always been beautiful to me." Red tulips is a declaration of love. Yellow tulips means "there is sunshine in your smile."

The song from the third part is "You and Me" by Lifehouse.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Summer

(-- --)

Chapter 2

Summer

Sometimes they fought for stupid reasons.

One of them was when he wanted to go swimming with her. She was embarrassed to be seen in a swimsuit. He took her to a pool late at night when it was completely deserted. The night was cool and quiet.

"Aren't you going to get changed?" he asked.

"No…"

"Why not? No one is going to see you in your swimsuit." His eyes twinkled. "Except me, of course."

She bit her lip, tugging her white blouse down. She averted her eyes to the ground, a faint blush forming on her cheeks. With a sigh, he touched the small of her back and pushed her into the pool.

She shrieked. When she resurfaced, she glared at him. Her hair went limp with water and her clothes stuck to her skin. He could see through her blouse now, but that didn't matter. He had seen what was underneath before. "You fool!" she screamed.

With a chuckle, he jumped into the pool, his own clothes still on. She was still glaring at him when he resurfaced. He swam towards her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I hate you," she said.

He brushed a strand of wet hair out of her face. "That's sweet. I love you, too."

(-- --)

The cruise was a very good idea. They had been dating for a few months now, and the trip had been his idea. A trip together solidified their relationship even more. It was a chance to get away from work and relax in the company of each other.

It really was a wonderful idea. She was waiting for him on the deck. He couldn't help but admire her pale pink sundress that matched the rose colored sunglasses perched on her head. He grabbed her by the hand and twirled her around, her sundress billowing in her wake.

(-- --)

He thought the lake was a hundred times better than the beach. His daughter and her half-brother agreed. The beach was hot and always crowded with people. The lake in the village felt a lot more private and it was much cooler. He almost didn't want to call it a lake. It looked more like a secret lagoon with a waterfall pouring into it.

It was a hot day, and many of the trainees were also swimming in the lake. He would have been slapped if he was caught staring at the trainees in their bikinis, but not this time. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. It was hard _not_ to notice how well she grew into her looks.

"It's rude to stare," she replied, noticing the way he glanced at her.

"It's hard not to," he answered. "Especially when the Master of the village looks more amazing than anyone else here."

She blushed and kicked him into the water.

* * *

Oh, did I mention that I'm not always going to write the pairings in the same order? It's more fun to mix things up.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	3. Autumn

(-- --)

Chapter 3

Autumn

It was a disaster.

They were spending Thanksgiving together. She wanted to cook for him. All you had to do was follow a recipe. How hard could it be? He entered her apartment to find his frustrated girlfriend in the kitchen with burned food on two plates.

"What happened here?" he asked with an amused smile. She whimpered, gesturing to the oven and the blackened food. She sighed and moved into the loving arms of her boyfriend. "Ah, I'm sorry." He chuckled. "For someone who is an amazing detective, you're a terrible cook."

She glared up at him. "That's not funny," she snapped.

"Sorry." He let go of her to grab a bag just outside of the kitchen doorway. He held up the bag of Chinese takeout in front of her. "I suspected that you would do something like this so I got you your favorites. And for dessert," he reached into the bag and pulled something out, "I got you your favorite snack."

Her scowl turned into a soft smile. "You're the best."

"I know. It's all for you."

(-- --)

He found her that afternoon raking up the fallen leaves just outside the Manor. It was only her and no one else in the courtyard.

"They make the Master do menial jobs?" he asked.

"Everyone has to pitch in and help," she answered.

He eyed the big pile of leaves. It was just begging to be jumped into. She would be pretty angry if he did that when she probably spent a long time working on. He made up his mind and grabbed her by the waist and threw her into the pile of leaves, jumping in beside her.

She squawked indignantly as the leaves scattered everywhere. As he laughed, she threw a few punches at him. "You jerk! Don't have any idea how long it took me to rake these?!"

He sat up beside her. "I know. I'll help you clean up." He pulled a leaf out of her hair. "I just wanted to do something unexpected."

"Well, congratulations. You've succeeded."

"Can I do something else unexpected?" he asked. He grinned.

"If you must."

He leaned forward to kiss her.

(-- --)

They moved across the floor, white against black. He spun and twirled her, the matching gold bands on their finger glittering in the light.

"This may be a foolish question, but is it possible to be so happy?" she asked.

"Yes. Let's make it out business, _miene liebe Frau_, to live happily ever after."

* * *

The second part is my favorite out of all of the ones I've written. :)

The last two lines is based off of the last two lines from the ending of _Mansfield Park_ (2007).

_miene liebe Frau_ is German for "my dear wife."

Anyways, thanks for reading!


	4. Winter

(-- --)

Chapter 4

Winter

She stared out of the window. Snow was falling lightly. "Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful," she sang, "and since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

"Hey, come on."

She turned to him where he was sitting on the couch. With a smile, she sat down and snuggled up next to him. He pulled a blanket over them and turned on the TV where her favorite show was airing its Christmas special.

"This would be a lot more romantic if you had a fireplace," she said.

He chuckled. "I do have a fireplace."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's called "turning on the stove.""

"Oh, cute."

"I think you're cuter."

She blushed and rolled her eyes. "Aw…now shh. The show is starting!"

(-- --)

She came out of the kitchen with a tray in her hands. She went into the library where her husband was busy writing up a report. She set down a cup of his favorite Earl Grey tea. She moved to leave when he looked up and said, "Wait." He grabbed her hands and pulled her down onto his lap.

"You can't keep doing this," she said.

"And why not?" He placed a soft kiss on her neck.

"Soon I'll be too big and heavy to sit on your lap." They ran their hands over the big bump on her stomach.

"Well, until then, you can sit on my lap," he murmured in her ear.

She turned around to kiss him on the lips. "Fool," she whispered. She kissed him again. "My fool…"

"We're just a pair of fools in love."

(-- --)

They were walking down the frozen street, arms wrapped around each other. Their shared body heat kept them warmer than the jackets they wore. They wandered into the park where a large Christmas tree was set up. The different colors of the lights flashed. The star on top dazzled brightly in the light.

The warmth of her boyfriend suddenly disappeared. When she turned to look where he went, she found him in front of her down on one knee. He firmly held her hand in his own. He took out a small velvet box and opened it to reveal a diamond ring with pink sapphire side stones.

"Marry me," he said. She gasped. "Seriously. Marry me."

She beamed and laughed. "Of course!" He slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her. She held the ring up, the stones glittering in its beauty.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it," she replied breathlessly. "It's very--"

"Glimmerous?"

"Yeah." She pressed a kiss on his cheek. "That."

**THE END.**

**

* * *

**So, thus ends this little story.

It's been a while since I last wrote a proposal scene, so if it seems awkward, then I'm sorry.

I don't have anything else to say other than thank you for reading!


End file.
